Once Burned
by Wes Imlay
Summary: A Battlestar Hermes/Battlestar Victorious story:    A tragic event happened early in the career of Artimus Bowman, now it's coming back to haunt him and it threatens to engulf both his family and friends.
1. Chapter 1: Ghosts of the Past

**Once Burned:**

**Written by: Wes Imlay**

**(Author's Note: This story takes place two years after my story 'Ride of the Valkyrie'. I take credit for wrting most of the story but I could not have done it without the help of my friend Anthony Wilkins aka The Wilky Bar Kid, the man who is responsible for the creation of Artimus Bowman and the Battlestar Hermes. The work of this and other stories would not be possible without his collaboration.)**

**Chapter One: Ghosts of the Past**

**Four Years Before the Fall**

**Oxford, Caprica:**

**Vaught-Hemingway Fleet Air Station:**

The afternoon sun bore down on the large military installation, considered by many to be the 'Birthplace of Colonial Fleet Aviation'. Vaught-Hemingway Fleet Air Station was one of the places throughout the Twelve Colonies where the men and women of the Fleet honed their craft as pilots of Vipers and Raptors.

Lieutenant Colonel Artimus Bowman stepped out of the debriefing room where he had just finished addressing the 'Raptor Wranglers' he had taken through the paces of various Raptor maneuvers. They had been at it since the morning hours and the last thing he wanted to do was burn them out too quickly. They were still at an early phase in their training and he had already figured out their breaking points but now it was up to them to do the same. He knew from his years of experience in the cockpit of a Raptor that the trainee always thought his breaking point was sooner than his instructor knew it actually was. The hard part was getting the trainee to push through it and reach their actual limit and not just when it got hard. Flying Raptors was hard no matter what any Viper-puke ever said to the contrary.

Walking across the flight line he watched as a Raptor that was clearly piloted by a rook because of the rather sloppy way it banked over the boundary of the base. He was ready to go to his office, take care of the paperwork that he was sure waited for him, have a brief chat with Chief Robert Imlay, and then drive home to Delphi to see his wife Brooke.

He navigated the maze of buildings until he found the one he was looking for. The Apollo Soucek Building was where most of the officers in charge of training had their offices, Bowman's was located on the third floor and he was pleased by the fact that it had a window. He wanted privacy but he didn't want total seclusion either.

He walked in through the doors and nodded a greeting at the receptionist, a young female civilian worker whose beautiful features made Bowman the envy of many of his peers. He walked passed her without saying a word although this was not through rudeness. Just the look from him was the equivalent of a long conversation to her but he clearly had no romantic or even lustful interest in her. He only had eyes for one woman.

In less than five minutes he was on the third floor and heading towards his office. He then noticed something that seemed out of the ordinary…his door was open. This was odd. He was always very careful to make sure his door was locked whenever he left his office. He felt his curiosity getting the better of him, he walked up to the door frame and saw the man sitting at his desk.

"If it were under normal circumstances I'd order you out of my chair," Bowman said.

The man looked at him with an amused look in his eyes, "In that case it's a good thing I have dirt on you that goes back several years."

"Are you at least comfortable? I'd hate to think I got a chair that a person would hate to sit in," Bowman said as he walked over to the desk.

Major Gregory Eaton stood up and put an arm on Bowman's shoulder, "It's been some time since we last spoke but it's good to see you Artimus. Have your trainees been driving you crazy?"

"Alright Greg, we haven't spoken since the inquiry and now you show up all of a sudden. What's going on?" Bowman asked.

"I don't know if you heard about Cate?" Eaton said.

"Can't say that I have, I haven't spoken to anyone from the squadron since the inquiry…I'm sure you know why," Bowman admitted.

Eaton took in a deep breath before he answered.

"Her husband found her dead this morning, it seems she took an overdose of pills," Eaton said quietly.

Bowman's head dipped solemnly.

"I always worried about her," Bowman said. Caitlin Watson had been in the Raptor that was damaged during the maneuver that went so badly. Her ECO had been killed but she lived. It seemed her guilt over having survived finally got to her.

"We all know you took that hard but we all forgave you for any perceived guilt you felt," Eaton added.

"Not everyone forgave me," Bowman said.

Eaton let out a sigh, "It seems Mrs. Jaclyn Armstrong has not either from what I read on that letter. That can't be good for you to read."

"Every year she sends me a letter on the anniversary or near the anniversary to remind me that her son is dead because of me and it's never something pleasant."

"She shouldn't," Eaton said before adding, "Cate left the Fleet because she couldn't deal with what happened and the rest of us have stayed in despite it. Just hold on to what good you can find in this frakked up situation."

"Thanks Greg, if you're ever in Delphi look me up and we'll have drinks," Bowman said.

"Leaving so soon?" Eaton asked.

"I have to go home and visit my wife and a couple of friends," Bowman said.

Bowman left his office and walked to the parking lot, he had a feeling his ride should be there soon if not already there waiting. He scanned the lot and saw the blue and white convertible sports car, its occupant seemingly interested in tuning into the local wireless station.

"You look bored," Bowman said as he walked up.

"You look like you've logged one too many flight hours in a Raptor but I'm not the type to judge," Commander Scott Tolan said.

"Considering you're a Viper jock you really have no room to talk. Did Brooke draft you to come and make sure I got home," Bowman asked.

"You can torture me, you can starve me, you can even put bamboo under my fingernails but I will never betray a confidence…especially when she's the friend of my wife! Have you managed to better your group of Raptor pilots?"

Bowman shrugged, "Only a few but I'll work the rest out in time. I thought you were still working on the _Talos_."

"We finished the work on it a few days ago, ahead of schedule I might add, and now I have a date with the Quorum."

"What do you have to meet with them for?" Bowman asked.

"You don't remember that talk we had two months ago?"

"No," teased Bowman who knew full well what Scott was referring to. His wife Brooke was best friends with Scott's wife Emily and every phone call between the two wives of the Colonial Fleet officers seemed dominated by the news. "I'm drawing a blank."

"Really, something important about my meeting with the Quorum…still drawing a blank?"

"Y'know if it was something important Scott I'd remember it without any trouble," said Bowman sarcastically and at the same time allowing Scott Tolan to explain it himself.

Tolan was going to say something until it dawned on him, "You're doing this on purpose aren't you?"

Bowman simply smiled, "After all you've put me through since we became friends it's the least I can do."

Tolan laughed, "Well played Artimus."

Bowman did half of a bow, "Thank you. So moving along, are you nervous?"

"I'm only going for my confirmation hearing to see if not only I get flag rank but also the job as head of the Bureau of Ships…no pressure at all."

"I thought you'd be a better liar…Admiral."

Tolan shrugged, "I'm working on it."

"You're here early though; I thought you'd go visit the Quroum Building or something."

"I wanted to see you and Brooke and spend time with Em, it seems any moment she might pop with the triplets and the doctor has put her on bed rest. At least Brooke is there to help look after her…" Tolan was quiet before he added, "There seems to be something bothering you. We have some time before we make it to the Caprica City house. You want to talk?"

Bowman mentally kicked himself for making it seem obvious, "If you got the time I suppose I could, it goes back to my time on the _Daedalus_."

"We never talked about the _Daedalus_, not really at least."

"It's something that is simple to explain, I screwed up and someone died. I never forgave myself for it," Bowman said as he took a seat.

"That's a harsh assessment," said Tolan. "Even for you."

"I was in command. No matter what the external circumstances it's always the guy in charge's fault."

"When I was touring the Reserve Fleet I saw the _Daedalus_ there," Tolan said before he moved on to the question he was not sure his friend would answer, "Who was it that died, I never really read the details of the report…just what I needed to get you to go on that rescue mission two years ago."

"His name was Garret Armstrong, and he was one of the pilots on the _Daedalus_ in the Blue Hawks Raptor Display Team…"

"Was he the pilot or the ECO of the Raptor?" Tolan asked.

"The ECO…" Bowman said but the thought of Cate Watson's suicide were too fresh in his mind, "I'd rather we moved on to something else. Have you heard anything regarding your confirmation hearing?"

"I've heard bits and pieces in the news; it's not a guarantee by any means. I don't know if I owe Corman or Adar for this or if I'm getting it on my own merits," Tolan said.

"I have my suspicions but you may not like them, you have sort of had a rocket strapped to your back with the switch turned on. Especially in light of two years ago," Bowman said as he closed his eyes and let the warmness of the Caprican sun wash over him as though it could warm the coldness he was feeling inside.

"In some good news, Lacey is here for a week or so," Tolan said.

"I wasn't expecting her to visit Caprica for another two months," Bowman said. Lacey Tolan was Scott Tolan's first cousin and had lived with his mom since the death of her parents back when she was five. In the two years since the _Valkyrie_ mission Lacey had become an honorary niece to Artimus and Brooke.

"Her school is on a break of some kind and she's here to watch the hearing, her Colonial Government teacher told her it would be a valuable learning experience for her," Tolan said though his voice seemed to betray a doubt about the value of the experience.

"It'll be good to see her, and I know Brooke has to be excited to have her. If Emily is as close to delivering as it seems then she might be there for the birth as well," Bowman said, it was nice to have some kind of conversation that did not involve the recent revelation.

Tolan's mobile phone began to vibrate and Bowman looked down to the center console to see if it was Brooke or Emily calling. It was a number he did not recognize.

Tolan picked the phone up and press the button to accept the call, "Hello…yes sir…I'm heading to Delphi at the moment…I'm driving from Oxford…Near the Macona Forest…I have company with me, Lieutenant Colonel Artimus Bowman…"

Bowman tried to get a read on Tolan's feelings but his friend's face remained expressionless, as though he was playing a high-stakes game of Triad and wanted to keep things as close to the vest as possible.

"He can accompany me, that won't be a problem…I can be at the Executive Mansion in about an hour and forty-five minutes to two hours depending on traffic…Yes sir, I'll see you when we arrive," Tolan said before he ended the call and placed the mobile phone back in its original place in the center console.

"Executive Mansion, Scott what the hell is going on?" Bowman asked.

"You may want to call Brooke and tell her that there's been a change of plans," Tolan said.

"Why's that?"

"Because we've been ordered to the Executive Mansion, it seems Admiral Corman is there visiting with President Adar and my presence was requested. When I mentioned that you were in the car with me I was told to bring you along," Tolan said and for once his voice was not in the neutral tone he had used on the phone.

"This is a first for me, I've never been to the Executive Mansion before," Bowman admitted as Tolan plotted in the coordinates into the satellite navigation system of the car. "Do you think this is some effort to bump us both off at the same time perhaps? Make it look like an accident."

Tolan laughed. "It's the second time for me and it bears an eerie resemblance to the first," Tolan said as he mentally wondered what lay ahead for them.

**Two Hours and Twenty-One Minutes Later:**

**Caprica City, Executive Mansion:**

"Commander Tolan and Colonel Bowman, I hope your travel here wasn't too troublesome," Brandie Nicholson, a member of the Adar staff, said as she escorted the two officers to the suites that made up the Executive Office.

"Apart from that accident over on Herrera Avenue we had an uneventful trip," Tolan said with a smile.

"Both President Adar and Admiral Corman hate that it had to be short notice but they appreciate you taking the time to come so quickly," Nicholson said as she opened the door to one of the sitting rooms, "They will be here as soon as they can so make yourselves comfortable."

When she had left, the two officers took seats that were on opposite sides of a coffee table.

"Was this where you met them at when you were here?" Bowman asked.

Tolan shook his head, "I was in one of the family sitting rooms. Things were a little less formal on that specific occasion. I'm sure I don't have to explain why."

It was not long after he said that when one of the doors opened and in walked Adar and Corman. Both officers stood to attention and saluted both men.

"At ease gentlemen, please sit down," Adar said and the two immediately did so.

"Commander Tolan, it's been a long time," Adar said with what looked like a practiced smile.

"It's been a little over two years to be exact," Tolan said.

"I heard you've been busy since then, you were given two battlestars to decommission if I'm not mistaken."

"As I was telling you earlier, Commander Tolan has overseen the decommissioning of the battlestars _Courageous_ and _Talos_," Corman interjected.

"I see, and as you for," Adar said as he turned his attention to Bowman, "I'm afraid I don't know much about you Colonel Bowman."

"Lieutenant Colonel Bowman was Tolan's XO during that mission two years ago when your sister and niece were kidnapped. He's now a Raptor instructor over at Vaught-Hemingway," Corman said before Bowman could introduce himself. Bowman never pretended to be an ace when it came to politics but he knew enough to realize that Corman was doing his best to control both the events and the flow of information in this room.

"Admiral Corman told me that he met your grandfather once during the Cylon War, it seems Raptor service runs in the blood," Adar said with the same smile he had given Tolan.

"I suppose so Mr. President," Bowman said after glancing at Corman to ensure the Admiral would allow him to speak this time without a sudden interruption. Politics bored Bowman immensely and he was soon itching to leave.

"If you don't mind me cutting to the chase Mr. President, why are we here?" Tolan asked.

"You should have learned by now that you do not get to make demands of the President," Corman said.

"Relax Peter, I find that Commander Tolan is not a man to waste time…a quality I can respect," Adar said.

"With all that has been going on lately it's best to not waste time," Tolan said in response.

"Indeed, well as you know you have come up for promotion to flag rank. This is not without controversy considering your age and your family…'connection' back on Canceron," Adar began.

"As I figured would be the case, along with the fact that I realized I was being placed far ahead of other candidates," Tolan said.

"I have had a discussion with the twelve members of the Quorum and I have a feel for who is on your side and who isn't," Adar said before adding, "Both Peter and I want you to make flag rank if for no other reason than as a 'Thank you' for the discretion you and your team showed two years ago."

"In that case, how is Lieutenant Aperlae doing?" Bowman asked through a slip of the tongue without hiding any of the disgust in his voice. Tolan had led the rescue mission two years ago to rescue Rachael and Renee Adar from the Sagitarron Liberation Army and the Tauron pirate group the Erebea. Lieutenant Myra Aperlae had been sent on the same rescue mission to cover the fact that Adar had to use Tolan's connections to the Canceron criminal underworld. Aperlae had double-crossed Tolan and the members of the team that did survive barely made it off of the SLA space station alive.

"That is 'Major' Aperlae now and she is on Commander Tolan's old ship, the _Mercury_, as its Tactical Officer," Corman said.

"I see," Bowman said and immediately felt sorry for asking.

"We all went along with the cover story but as you can imagine it was not an easy thing to do," Tolan said in hopes to diffuse the situation.

"Of course we understand that," Adar said before Corman could say something, "which is why we are going to do all we can to compensate you and your people."

"Who on the Quorum is with this and who is against it?" Tolan asked.

"Right now it's an even split, the Vice President may have to cast the deciding vote if it stays that way," Adar said before adding, "The members in favor of your confirmation are Marta Shaw of Caprica, Carlton Woods of Virgon, Elisa Campbell of Picon, Michael Torsten of Scorpia, Bianca Cantrell of Aquaria, and of course there's Gwen Rhodes Canceron. The other six are opposed to your promotion for various reasons."

"Your father-in-law is rumored to be using his money and influence on your behalf as well," Corman added.

Tolan shook his head, "I'd rather not have Alfred Graystone campaigning on my behalf, the last thing I want is for him to try to advance my career."

"I'd have figured you would appreciate his efforts on your behalf," Adar said.

"Knowing him he wants me up the ranks so it will be more socially acceptable to have me as his son-in-law, that's the only reason he has even an inkling of interest in my career," Tolan said.

"I'll see if I can keep him from doing that, out of respect for you," Adar said though in reality he had no intention of doing so.

"If that will be all I believe the Colonel and I need to take our leave," Tolan said.

"Of course, we just wanted to remind you about the official story of that incident two years ago and to let you know that we are doing all we can to make your confirmation hearing a success," Adar said as the two officers stood to leave the room.

"That was an interesting conversation," Bowman said once he and Tolan were out of the Executive Mansion.

"Yeah, it seems it was their way of reminding us to keep to the cover story and they have my back," Tolan said as he hit the button on his keychain to unlock the doors of his convertible.

**Delphi, Caprica:**

**Colonial Fleet Investigative Services, Caprica Division Headquarters:**

CFIS Agent Catherine Odessa was at her desk finishing up the last of the paperwork on a case involving a group that had been caught stripping parts off Vipers and Raptors to sell on the black market on Tauron. These groups had agents placed on several Battlestars including _Ark Royal_, _Redoubtable_, _Sphinx_, and _Hermes_ as well as a few far outposts. It had taken five long months of investigating but they finally caught a break and put the perpetrators in jail. It was a case that threatened to rock the Colonial Fleet and for that very reason it was being hushed up much to Odessa's frustration.

The phone at her desk began to ring and after the second ring she answered the call, "This is Odessa."

"Agent Odessa this is Director Medina," CFIS Director Abram Medina said from his office in the CFIS' main headquarters in the city of Pailyn on Picon.

"Yes Director, what can I do for you?"

"I have had some information come across my desk that I need you to investigate."

Odessa could tell her curiosity was getting the better of her, "What does it involve?"

"The person in question is Lieutenant Colonel Artimus Bowman; he's a Raptor instructor over at Vaught-Hemingway Fleet Air Station. There is a chance he is responsible for the murder of a fellow pilot from his time on the battlestar _Daedalus_ when he was the leader of the Blue Hawks Raptor Display Team. There was an accident that claimed the lives of one of the crews of the Raptors in the team. The official inquiry cleared him but someone has come forward with information that suggests it was anything but an accident."

"Send me over any information on the case, and I'll go over the original inquiry and decide where to proceed. I'll bring Bowman in and question him about it and that should be that," Odessa said.

"Let's have our information straight before we proceed with questioning, Bowman has a rather influential ally."

"Who would that be?" Odessa asked.

"Commander Scott Tolan," Medina said and began to give Odessa background information on the Commander.

What Odessa did not tell the Director was that it was not necessary. She knew Scott Tolan well; the two of them had a history that was not entirely pleasant. Perhaps it was her previous dealings with him and the times she had to deal with the Basileus but it colored her feelings on this case.

She would work hard to bring Bowman down and as such get a little payback against Tolan and his family. After all, anyone who was allied to the rightful heir of the Basileus Crime Syndicate MUST had to be dirty too.

She had seen where Tolan had been in the news; he was scheduled to meet with the Quorum for a confirmation hearing in regards to his promotion to the rank of Rear Admiral. A close friend being indicted for murder would probably be enough to derail the hearing.

"Scott, I'm going to enjoy every minute of this…" she said to the empty room.

**Bowman Residence, Delphi:**

Tolan pulled up into the parking lot underneath the Bowmans' Delphi flat and Tolan cut the engine, neither had spoken much since leaving the Executive Mansion. It was as though the mention of the _Valkyrie_ mission two years ago, and the deal Tolan had made with Corman, had put the men in a reflective mood that left little room for talking.

"Is that Brooke?" Bowman asked Tolan.

"I believe it is," Tolan said as he exited the car after putting the convertible's roof back in place.

"Sorry I'm late getting home," Bowman said to Brooke when he walked up to her, "Hurricane Scott blew into my day and carried me along against my will."

"You're cute but it's not going to work," Brooke said.

"For what it's worth Brooke, we had an order from the President to come to the Executive Mansion," Tolan said as he tried to explain a little of what had happened.

"This was waiting for me on the door when I came out here to see if you had pulled up," Brooke said as she produced a white envelope.

"What is it?" Bowman asked as he took the envelope from Brooke.

"It's got your name on it, I didn't want to pry."

Bowman nodded as he opened the envelope and took out the letter. He immediately turned to Tolan, "Do you know anything about this, is it your idea of a joke?"

Tolan held up his hands defensively, "While I may pull my share of pranks, this is new to me. What is it?"

Bowman handed over the note and Tolan read it, in large red letters was the word **'**_**MURDERER**_**'**


	2. Chapter 2: Out of the Past

**Chapter Two: Out of the Past**

**Four Years before the Fall:**

**Bowman Residence, Delphi, Caprica:**

The accusing note had been quite the source of amusement throughout the household ever since Artimus had opened it. At first, the word 'Murderer' was a bit unsettling due to the sheer shock of having it thrust upon them. As their senses began to kick in, the group of friends came to realize that there was only one logical explanation.

Lieutenant Colonel Artimus Bowman held the note in his hand and simply chuckled, "This is some sort of joke the guys at the base are playing on me."

Commander Scott Tolan took the note and looked it over, "That's what I'd think. Though it doesn't say much for their sense of humor, does it? Any idea who is responsible?"

"There's a student pilot in my third year group who is known for giving his instructors a hard time. My money is on him. I'll give it a couple of weeks then I'll try to get some payback. I don't want him to think I'm biting just yet," Bowman said as he folded the note and put it into the inside pocket of his uniform jacket.

"That's not very Gods damn funny if you ask me," declared Scott, a man who came from a family of real murderers in the form of the Basileus Crime Syndicate. He knew that even being associated with such people could harm a man's reputation, and he didn't want the same to happen to his friend. Indeed, in the past two years since Artimus and Scott had been friends, Tolan had been very careful to try to keep Artimus from suffering the effects of being associated with a man whose surname carried with it the weight of Canceron's most powerful crime family. For the most part, he succeeded.

"I'm sure it's nothing," repeated Bowman in his usual calming way. "I'm sure I've never murdered someone before. In fact the only time I ever came close was when I ran into a certain officer a couple years ago who, and I use this term loosely, 'volunteered' me for a mission."

"Yeah, I have that effect on people," chortled Scott.

"Never mind that now. It's just good to have you back home," Brooke Bowman said as she walked up and gave her husband a kiss on the lips. Brooke, like the others, had been initially quite shocked at the letter. But this was a rare opportunity to spend some quality time with her husband, the only family she really had anymore now that her own had shunned her. Her brother, Barry Garner, who was now the family patriarch, had taken a disliking to Artimus Bowman.

"It's good to be home," Bowman said, as he could not help but smile at her. Scott noted that Brooke had an uncanny ability to break the ice surrounding her husband that no one else ever could; well, except for one other person he knew but she was long gone.

"I see the two of you haven't stopped acting like newlyweds," Scott said in a teasing manner.

"It's only been eight months…but who's counting," Brooke said.

"Not I," Scott replied.

"Emily and Lacey are in the flat waiting for you," Brooke said to Scott as she motioned for the two follow her.

There was not much conversation as Brooke opened the door to the flat. In the living room was Emily Tolan, Scott's wife of the past six years. In that time, they had lived through the highs of marriage but also dealt with the lows. It was the type of thing that would either drive them closer or tear them apart.

"Honey, I'm home!" Scott announced as he walked through the door.

"I'd get up to give you a kiss but I'm afraid you'll have to come here to me," Emily said. She was on bed rest by order of her doctor, and now she sat in the recliner that Bowman normally relaxed in after work.

"Doesn't bother me the least," Scott said softly as he walked over to Emily with his arms outstretched to grasp hold of each side of her face before kissing her delicately. It was only the faintest of kisses but it was delivered with such affection that its effects seem to spill out into the room.

"Scott!" a voice called out from the Bowman's guest room. Both Tolan and Bowman turned to see it was Lacey Tolan, Scott's first cousin and seemingly honorary niece to Artimus and Brooke Bowman.

"When did you get here from Canceron?" Scott asked as Lacey came up and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Early this morning. There was a driver waiting to take me here," she said.

"Who arranged that?" Brooke asked.

"Lydia," Scott and Bowman said in unison. Lydia Zeresi was the aunt of Scott and Lacey, not to mention she was the head of the Basileus crime syndicate and ran all organized crime on the colony.

"Aunt Sylvia was worried about my coming here on my own so when she heard about it, she provided me with an escort and arranged for a driver to pick me up and take me here."

"Who was the escort?" Tolan asked.

"Donovan Roberts, he was an MP in the Colonial Army; when he was discharged Aunt Lydia offered him a job as a security guard. It seems she told him his job was to deliver precious cargo to Caprica."

"That was kind of Aunt Lydia," Scott said though he felt a bit put off by it. He had spent most of his life distancing himself from the Basileus and since the rescue mission two years ago when he had to enlist the syndicate's aid he found himself becoming drawn back into a world he wanted to avoid.

"Aunt Sylvia said she'd be here in time for your confirmation hearing. She's doing some work with the VCW for their upcoming parade," Lacey said. The VCW, the Veterans of Colonial Wars, was a group of veterans from the Cylon War and other skirmishes involving the Colonial military. Scott's father, Henry Tolan, had been a warrant engineer with the Colonial Fleet during the Cylon War. He died of cancer two years after Scott was born. Perhaps his mom's work with the VCW was a way of staying connected to her husband.

"At least she'll be here for that," Scott said as he looked to see what was on the television.

Emily saw what her husband was looking at. "It seems you've made the news."

"I'm friends with a celebrity now," Bowman said as he gave Scott a slap on the back.

"Very funny," Scott said as he took a seat on the nearby couch to watch the report.

"As we reported earlier, the Colonial Broadcasting Channel's Ashley Jewell will be conducting an interview with retired Fleet Admiral Jonas Stryker in just a few minutes. When it comes to the upcoming confirmation hearing of Commander Scott Tolan's promotion to the rank of Rear Admiral, the retired Admiral Stryker does not hold back in his views on this controversial topic," news anchor Jamaal Ali read from the teleprompter.

"This can't be good," Scott muttered.

"When did you become all doom and gloom?" Bowman asked.

"Just call it a feeling, but I don't think Stryker is going to be too pleased with the decision to promote me," Scott said. He hoped he was wrong but he strongly doubted it.

"You're worrying, Scott, it's not like you," Brooke said before adding, "I think you should just wait and see what Stryker has to say."

The channel went to commercial, the first one being a trailer for the Neveah Ratliff movie _The Avenging Angel III_. After three more minutes, Ali was back on the screen. "For those of us joining us now, we are about to take you to Ashley Jewell at the residence of retired Fleet Admiral Jonas Stryker on Picon. Admiral Stryker, much like many of the retired Colonial Fleet flag officers, has been rumored to have strong opinions regarding the decision of the Admiralty to promote Commander Scott Tolan. Mainly, this stems from Commander Tolan's family connections to the Basileus crime syndicate on his home colony of Canceron. More to the point is the fact that his grandfather, the late Carl Tolan, was the man who founded the Basileus. We now take you to Ashley Jewell on Picon," Ali said as the screen faded to black briefly before the live feed came in from the Stryker residence.

Ashley Jewell then appeared on the screen, "This is Ashley Jewell here at the Stryker Residence on Picon. I am honored to have with me the legendary Fleet Admiral Jonas Stryker. Admiral, on behalf of our viewers, I would like to say what an honor it is to have you here today."

The camera then panned to Stryker, for a man who had just turned ninety-five he looked to be in surprisingly good health. He was dressed casually, with a pair of khaki pants, a blue button-up shirt, and a gray sweater jacket. "Ms. Jewell, I thank you for taking the time to come to Picon," Stryker said.

"I know it has been some time since you retired from active duty, yet your imprint is still felt on the Fleet. You give a yearly talk to the graduating class of the Fleet Academy and still maintain your residence on Picon as opposed to your native Aquaria. How do you feel about the recent quotes from the retired admirals about the upcoming confirmation hearing of Commander Scott Tolan?"

Stryker was quiet for a moment before he said, "I have heard what these retired admirals have said to the media and I have held my tongue in hopes that the news about Commander Tolan was mere rumor. Let me begin by saying that the admirals have served the Colonies well and are well within their rights to voice their opinions. Some, such as Admiral John Kronus, have been against Commander Tolan's promotion. Others, such as Gary Ware, are in favor of it for various reasons. I know of others who have joined in the fray that has been caused by this move to promote a man to flag rank when there are so many others who have put in more time than he has."

"I take it then," Jewell began, "that you are opposed to Tolan's promotion?"

Stryker nodded, "That is correct. I have dealt with the Tolan family in the past."

Jewell cut him off, "There have been rumors about an operation on Canceron during the later years of the Cylon War. Is that when you dealt with the Tolan family?"

"I cannot confirm those rumors but at one point in time I dealt with Carl Tolan, the founder of the Basileus. It was after this that I developed my unofficial rule 'Never trust a Tolan' and it is something I still believe is relevant," Stryker said.

"Does the fact that his grandfather was a crime lord mean that you believe Scott Tolan is not qualified?"

"That's one of the reasons. Let's face it…the apple sometimes does not fall far from the tree. I would also like to mention that he knowingly put his air wing in danger when he was the CAG of the _Mercury_."

"This is something that I don't believe has been elaborated on, would you elaborate for us?"

"There was a skirmish between the _Mercury_ and the pirate group Erebea. During this skirmish, the air wing was deployed against the pirates. It is documented in the official investigation that then-Major Scott Tolan lost a pilot due to negligence on the part of the pilot's wingman. An officer who knowingly allows a pilot to die because he cannot reign in an irresponsible wingman does not inspire confidence in an officer's leadership abilities. People think I may be harsh with this but I believe the family of Ensign Hélène Monteil would say something similar."

"There were also rumors that have come out the past couple of years that Tolan had become somewhat of a corrupt officer; do you think there is any truth to this?"

"As I mentioned earlier, there is a good chance the apple did not fall far from the tree. The idea that this man is even the same calibre of the officers who served as flag officers in the Cylon War...the likes of John Kronus, Thomas Hood, George Carnac, Robert Vallette, William Acland, and other officers who were forged in battle against an unrelenting enemy. Scott Tolan isn't worthy to shine their shoes much less serve as a flag officer. If our society has gotten to the point where we would consider giving a man from a crime family such an honor, perhaps it might have been best for the Cylons to have won the war. Maybe we as a people are not worthy of survival if these are the values we seem to hold dear to our hearts."

"I'm afraid we're going to have to cut back to the studio but I wanted to ask if there anything you wanted to say before we go."

Stryker was quiet again; then it seemed he found the words he was looking for, "It's going to be a dark day for the Colonial Fleet when a Tolan becomes a flag officer."

The television promptly clicked off as Brooke used the remote to turn the power off. The five people in the room did not say a word, most seem to be looking to Scott to see what his reaction would be. He sat there stoically, not sure what thought would come out of the storm of emotion that raged in his mind. He knew there was little doubt that Stryker may have just hammered his chances of Quorum confirmation.

"What do you say we go out to eat tonight, I could use a good meal and a strong drink," he finally said.

"Yeah I think that would be a good idea," Bowman agreed followed by murmurs of agreement from Emily, Brooke, and Lacey.

**Fifty-One Minutes Later:**

**Pontic Comana Restaurant, Caprica City:**

Scott had reserved the Isin Room at the Pontic Comana Restaurant; it was a restaurant that took up three floors of the Justinian Tower. It was a favorite of the Tolans, going back to when they had first married. Normally, they would come here for special occasions or when Scott would return home from a deployment. Either way it was a place the Tolans associated with joyous events or there was always excitement ahead of any planned excursion there.

"Greetings, Mr. and Mrs. Tolan, this is an unexpected surprise," Adrienne Waters, the restaurant manager, said as she welcomed the Tolans and the Bowmans to the restaurant, "When we heard you reserved a room here we made sure to accommodate you. It's always nice to see two of our favorite guests and their friends."

"Thank you, Adrienne," Scott said as he and the others followed Waters up to the third floor of the restaurant where the Isin Room was located. It was one of several private dining areas that could be reserved for special occasions. The Isin Room had a private balcony that looked over the streets of Caprica City and offered a view of the ocean in the distance. The group took their seats at a table next to the double doors that led out to the small balcony.

Waters turned to face them and said, "For what it's worth Commander Tolan, I saw Admiral Stryker's interview and wanted you to know that you have my support."

"Thank you, Adrienne, that means a lot to me," Scott said with a smile. It was a small gesture but it was nice to hear.

The five of them started to browse through the menus, but it was clear that there was something that needed to be said but none dared to broach the subject. Finally, it was Lacey who had enough of the silence, "Scott, I don't think that interview was fair to you. I don't see how you can sit there and not be bothered by that hatchet job."

There was a stifled smirk of amusement from around the table at Lacey's bold words.

"Stryker is entitled to his opinion. I don't believe it's unbiased but it is _his_ opinion. Unfortunately he is one of those people who have others hang on every word he says," Scott said before adding, "I can't change the way he feels about it. All I can do is to see what the fallout is going to be with the Quorum."

"Bringing up Monteil was uncalled for," Bowman said. Scott had told him the story about her during two years ago on the _Valkyrie_, and it seemed wrong to have it thrown into the story about whether his friend was competent as a leader. "Just because he is retired now doesn't mean he doesn't wield the same influence as most flag officers."

"I didn't expect that but I won't be surprised to find an interview with her family now that the story has been broadcast all over the Colonies," Scott said as he went over the drink selections.

"How has her family been towards you since that happened?" Brooke asked.

"Not too pleasant I'm afraid," Tolan said hinting that he didn't wish to speak any further on the matter.

"I take it they blame you for what happened," Emily asked. This was something that she had never heard her husband bring up before.

"Both her parents and her fiancé took her death hard, and at the memorial service they let me know in no uncertain terms that they would never forgive me."

There was a short and uncomfortable pause broken by Brooke who hoped to change the subject in so they could continue with their evening.

"Listen, it's time we started talking about other things besides this confirmation hearing. It's Friday and we have a weekend to enjoy. It's not often we all get together like this. Do you really want to bore poor Lacey with all this talk about news and politics?" Brooke said.

"You're right," Bowman said before turning his attention to Lacey, "How are things on Canceron?"

"Well, for starters there is a chance I may have a boyfriend," she said and saw the looks of concern go over the faces of both Scott and Bowman. Scott's expression was a masterful imitation of someone who was indifferent and yet deep down he always had reservations about Lacey dating. Bowman on the other hand resembled an Adder about to strike at a rat; he was hopeless at hiding his feelings.

"Really Lace, who is it?" Scott said as he hoped he could hide his concern.

"His name is Jeremy Lane, he's plays pyramid on Clio's junior varsity team. We have Canceron Literature class together and for the past couple of months I've been helping him when he's had trouble with the material Mrs. Morgan throws our way."

Scott Tolan and Artimus Bowman gave each other a look that implied that each knew what the other was thinking. There would be a thorough background check on Jeremy Lane and perhaps a trip to Canceron to put the fear of the gods into the young man.

Emily seemed to sense this, "I know Scott and Artimus are thrilled to hear that and aren't going to get too protective."

Brooke joined in, "You two aren't going to do something to get in the way of young love now, are you?"

"Of course not," Bowman said not quite convincingly.

"No Lace, I couldn't be happier for you!" Scott said while he thought of various ways to impress upon the young Mr. Lane how unfortunate he would be to break Lacey's heart. 'The neck can indeed be a weak part of the body,' he thought to himself.

"That means a lot to me! Listen, Jeremy's sister Meredith wanted to know how you got your call sign. She said it was kind of cool that you got to fly Vipers."

"Lace, you know there is plenty of excitement in flying a Raptor as well," Bowman said and saw his friend's eyes narrow at the comment. "More than one Viper jock has been left with a dropped jaw at what a Raptor can do. And they are more than happy to hitch a ride with us _wranglers_ when one of them crashes."

"Your honorary uncle here may think that, but that's a conversation we'll have another day...as for my call sign, I've had two of them."

"How's that possible?" Lacey asked.

"It all started back when I graduated from the Fleet Academy. My first posting was to the _Battlestar Galactica_. I was assigned to the Third Viper Squadron, the Vigilantes, along with my friend Zane Phelps. The squad leader, Captain Todd Nolan, had read that I was from Canceron and connected the dots as to who I was and what family I was from," Scott began before Brooke cut him off with a question.

"What do you mean, by what family you were from?"

"On Canceron you have the Tolan family, which is the one Lacey and I are a part of, and you have the Tolen family. Our family has an 'A' for the next to last letter and the other has an 'E' instead. Our grandfather changed the spelling of the last name when he formed the Basileus and since then there's been an ongoing family feud that has shown no signs of slowing down," Scott said.

"I see, well in that case, back to your story," Brooke said.

"Nolan decided to give me the call sign Crime Boss because of my blood ties to the Basileus."

"What got your call sign changed?" Lacey asked, still very much interested in hearing what had happened.

"The squadron was on a training exercise when one of the drones we used to simulate dog fights with went rogue and targeted Captain Todd's Viper. I reacted quickly enough to fly in and destroy the drone before it could take out his Viper. After we had landed and he heard how I had reacted and dispatched the drone he told me I must have swept in like the great hunter Orion. From that point on I went from being Crime Boss to Orion."

The night wore on and the conversation had finally put the Stryker issue to rest. Their dinner done, it was time to leave the restaurant and return to the Bowman's residence. Scott and Emily had left the room first. Lacey, Artimus, and Brooke followed behind them. As they stepped onto the main floor of the restaurant, there was a commotion near the restaurant's bar area.

"Scott Tolan!" a woman called out as she came out of the bar and made her way toward the group.

Scott looked at her and realized at once who it was, "This should be interesting."

"Who is that?" Emily asked. The woman looked familiar enough and she was certain she had seen her somewhere before.

"Alya Tabassum, one of those three movie actresses I dated back in my more reckless days," Scott said before mentally thinking, 'those days seem to be coming back to haunt me.'

Tabassum walked up and threw her arms around Tolan's neck, "Scott, it's been far too long! How have you been?"

"I've been well," he said as he put his arms around her and gave her a gentle squeeze before letting go.

A distance behind Emily, the remaining three of their party watched what was taking place.

"Who's that?" Brooke asked.

"That is Alya Tabassum; she's an actress who Scott dated at one point. Now she's here hugging him in front of Emily," Bowman said. "She's either ignorant or simply has a death wish."

"Does she even know that Scott's married?" Lacey asked.

Bowman was quiet for a moment before he turned to the two, "The wife and the ex-girlfriend. Welcome to every man's worst nightmare!"

"You never called me after we broke up," Tabassum said, almost pouting as she looked up at the man she once dated.

"Well you were the one who broke it off so you could date that one actor…what's his name…" Scott said as he realized he could not forget who she had left him for.

"You really forgot Lowell's name?" Tabassum said sounding more amused than annoyed, "I admit it was a fling that should have remained just that. We were co-stars and got carried away." Lowell Johnston was an actor who starred with Tabassum in the action movie _The Enemy Within_. While Tabassum seemed to have started dating Tolan for the bad boy image that came with being a member of the family that led the Basileus, it became apparent that they actually did in fact care about one another. However, Tabassum got the idea that it would help promote _The Enemy Within_ if she were to date her co-star and that was all it took to convince her to leave Scott and begin a relationship with Johnston.

"It was a while back, Alya, things are different now," Scott said as he motioned to where Emily was standing.

"I heard you had gotten married. I always knew some woman would be able to tame you. I thought you would have settled for someone who at least looked similar to me," Tabassum said. While she was tall and slender like Emily was, she at least had black hair and brown eyes that along with her tan skin gave her an allure that men found irresistible. Emily had blue eyes and red hair and while she may have spent some time in the sun, she was not anywhere near as tan as Tabassum.

"There are good reasons for that," Scott said, his voice not betraying the annoyance that was beginning to creep in.

"I never should have left you. You were good for me and I think I was good for you too," she was quiet briefly before going to a different conversation, "I heard you were in the news lately. Is it true that you're going to be an admiral?"

"If all works out I should be, it's not a guarantee yet," he said and actually felt relieved for the change in topic.

"You should come over to my table and have a drink. You can bring you wife too, I'd love to meet her and get to know her."

Scott shook his head, "Sorry, Alya, we have to go."

"Come on, just one drink. Can you do it for me for old time's sake?"

"I think it's best that we get home, Scott, I'm feeling like I could use one of your back rubs," Emily said as she walked up and linked her arm with her husband's.

It looked as though Tabassum was disappointed but she seemed to have a sudden idea, "Give me a call sometime, Scott," she said as she quickly grabbed a napkin from a nearby table and wrote her mobile number on it, "I would really love to catch up on old times with you."

"Let's go, honey," Emily said as she practically pulled her husband with her toward the door.

"They're moving quickly, let's catch up!" Brooke said.

The group made a fast exit from the Justinian Tower and headed back to their respective homes. The Tolans left in Scott's DD-841 sports car to make their way to the Caprica City residence they called home. The Bowmans headed back to Delphi in their Scorpia Sedan. On the way back to their flat, Bowman's mobile began to ring. He saw a number he recognized and wondered what it could be.

"Hello," he said and waited to see who it was.

"Hello Artimus, have I caught you at a bad time?" Claire Bowman, Artimus' grandmother, asked.

"Of course not Gran, what can I do for you?"

"It's your grandfather; he wanted to have a word with you."

Bowman felt his heart beat harder; he knew what his grandfather wanted. One thing his grandfather took seriously was watching the nightly news, it had been a ritual for as far back as he could remember.

"Is today a good day or a bad day?" Artimus asked. In the last two months Archibald Bowman, his grandfather, had been dealing with the effects of Elsworth Disease, a degenerative brain disease he had been diagnosed with. He had been receiving treatment for it, paid for by the Tolans, at the Jesse Rutherford Medical Center in Delphi. As his grandmother put it, there were good days and bad days when dealing with him and she never knew exactly which it was going to be.

"It's a good day," she said and moments later Artimus could hear her in the background handing the phone over.

"Artimus, can you hear me?" Archibald 'Firefly' Bowman, former CSAR Raptor pilot with the Colonial Fleet, asked.

"I can hear you fine, Granddad," Artimus said.

"That's good; I never know how the reception will be. I wanted to let you know that I saw Stryker's interview on the news. You know I have no love for Carl Tolan, but I think the Admiral was painting with too broad of a brush."

"I think Scott would be glad to hear that," Artimus said.

"I'll be honest with you; it was hard at first to trust him, knowing his background and all. I have to say he's a stand-up guy. I think Stryker has let his hatred for Carl Tolan morph into a hatred for the whole family."

"I can see where that would make sense."

"Listen, I have a card game with the guys I have to get to. What do you say tomorrow, since it's the weekend, you come over and have lunch and we can talk more about what's going on with your friend."

"I'd like that, I'll see you tomorrow," Artimus said, a part of him hoping that it would be another good day tomorrow. He ended the call and put his mobile phone away. He heard the phone ring and answered, it assuming it was his one of his grandparents calling.

"Artimus, are you there?"

"Eaton, I didn't expect you to call me so soon," Bowman said.

"Sorry to call you but I wanted to let you know that Monday afternoon is when the funeral for Cate will be held. Will you be there?"

Bowman was quiet as he wrestled with the decision. Cate had been a member of the Blue Hawks Raptor display team. Knowing the accident that day had destroyed her life to the point she eventually committed suicide tore at him. "I'll be there. Will there be anyone else from the team?"

"I'll be there; so will the other members from the team," Eaton said.

He would have to face all the other members from the team. Immediately, his mind conjured up the images of John Hatfield, Alana Gutierrez, and William Simmons. Along with him and Eaton, the other three made up the other remaining members of the Raptor team from that fateful day.

"I'll see you there," Bowman said and quickly ended the call without saying another word. Truth was he wanted to keep his mind off that and enjoy a weekend with his wife and friends.

**Delphi, Caprica**

**Bowman Residence:**

Artimus lay there in bed with Brooke nestled in beside him with her arm around his torso. The gentle rhythm of her breathing left little doubt that she had fallen asleep. The television they kept mounted on the wall played a movie, a romantic comedy called _I Remember Virgon_. He had wanted to watch something with a little more action but she insisted that they watch the movie, even going so far as to promise that she would be awake the whole time.

He wanted to sleep but he could not bring himself to do it, his mind stayed focused on that incident so long ago. It was as though all the memories and emotions from that day were flooding back, and he so desperately wanted to push them away and lock them up somewhere deep in his mind where they could no longer come back to cause him grief.

He deftly picked up the remote control from his nightstand and pressed the buttons necessary to bring up the movie he had wanted to purchase. Moments later the screen showed the logo of the Berryman/Knott Studios movie company, followed by the title screen for _Time to be Heroes_. It was a movie that dealt with the famed Canceron Surge, a move where the Colonial Military used an unprecedented number of troops to push the Cylons from the major cities of Canceron in order to keep the colony from falling under the control of the Cylons.

It was a welcome distraction from what was bothering him so badly; the old feelings of guilt were welling up in him and if it were possible to make a wish come true, it would be to have those feelings vanish forever. Perhaps it was the fact that he could not make peace with what had happened, the fact that so many had their lives ruined because of his actions...

**Caprica City, Caprica**

**Tolan Residence:**

"If it weren't for the fact that I'm about ready to have triplets I would make it a point to give you a hard time," Emily said as gave her husband a teasing glance.

"I am going to hear about this until my dying day, which from the way things are looking could be closer than I would like," Scott said as he threw his hands up in mock surrender.

"You never told me you dated Alya Tabassum," Lacey said, still surprised that her cousin had dated a celebrity.

"You were too young to know her; it was a long time ago."

"Yet she was more than willing to go and throw her arms around and kiss you on the cheek in public," Emily said, enjoying the chance to get in another word.

"Today, of all days, the last thing I needed was to run into her," Scott said, finally allowing his voice to show some weariness.

"It's that interview with Stryker, isn't it?" Lacey asked.

"Smart girl," Scott said before adding, "I think he just sunk my candidacy tonight with that interview. If what he says resonates with the Quorum then I can stay at Commander and retire knowing that I won't even get a retirement promotion to flag rank."

"He seems to have it out for our family," Lacey admitted, as though the realization was a bit much.

"From what our grandfather told me, there were some events that took place during the Cylon War that left Stryker livid at the Basileus."

"Scott, when you stand so close to them it's kind of hard not to get painted with the same brush," Emily said and immediately regretted her choice of words.

"That's family for you. I never asked to be close to the Basileus but events pulled me back enough to where Aunt Lydia has me in her clutches just enough to remind me why I pulled away from the family business."

"I still think you have a chance, perhaps your confirmation hearing will give you a chance to air your side of the story and provide some counter to Stryker," Emily said, hoping to give her husband at least a little hope.

"That's something I can hope for. It would be much easier if my last name had an 'e' instead of an 'a' in it," Scott said as he tried to fight the feeling that the next week was going to be rough.

Lacey tried to stifle a yawn, "I hate to do this, but I need to get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

She came over, gave both Scott and Emily a kiss on the cheek, and went up the stairs to her room.

Emily checked the clock, "It is kind of late, let's get some sleep and hopefully we'll both feel better in the morning."

**CFIS Caprica City Headquarters:**

Catherine Odessa sat at the head of the table in the conference room at CFIS Headquarters and realized that her weekend was essentially shot. She had selected her team from the agents who were not currently on assignment.

The door opened and Abram Medina walked in. The Director of CFIS looked at her and without saying a word, gave Odessa a look that left no doubt what he wanted to hear from her.

"I've had every scrap of paper relating to the incident on the _Daedalus_. If there's something to be discovered we'll get it."

Medina nodded and turned to leave, "Good luck, Odessa."

A few minutes later Agents Wendi Milone, Mayra Russell, Dennis Frederick, Cody Trent, and Demetrius King entered the room and took seats around the table where the boxes were arrayed.

"In front of you is a box containing the papers from the investigation into an accident on the training battlestar _Daedalus_," Odessa began before adding, "If you see something that seems out of the ordinary, no matter how small, let me know and we'll mark it as a possible lead."

She sat down in her chair and watched as the agents opened the boxes in front of them and began to read over documents, examine photos, and scrutinize everything they saw to see if there was in fact some sort of foul play. Her mind once more drifted not to Artimus Bowman but to Scott Tolan. She had watched the interview with Admiral Stryker and it seemed to confirm her long-held feelings that Tolan was a man who should not be in the position he was in. Perhaps one day she could catch him in something that would show the worlds that the words Stryker had spoken tonight were accurate.

Instead, she would have to make do by using her energies on the investigation into Lieutenant Colonel Artimus Bowman.


	3. Chapter 3: Into the Looking Glass

_**Chapter Three: Into the Looking Glass**_

_**Monday:**_

_**Bridges Funeral Home, Caprica City:**_

The fact that the casket was closed was a welcome relief to Lieutenant Colonel Artimus Bowman. It was as though looking at the face of Caitlyn Watson one more time would drive home the feelings of guilt that had been circling his heart these past few days. Seated near the front aft of the seats reserved for the family members were William Simmons, Gregory Eaton, Alana Gutierrez, and John Hatfield. Artimus made a point to stay near the rear of the room; he was here to pay his respects to Cate and leave.

The priest, who from what Artimus had heard was from the temple she and her husband attended, stepped up to the podium and began to conduct the memorial service. Artimus listened as the man talked about the loving marriage Cate had with her husband, and how their three children loved and adored her. Artimus knew it was all true but nevertheless he always became inflamed at such services. Who was this person talking about Cate as though he knew her better than anyone? What warranted him to speak on her behalf? He knew that it was only anger and he needed someone to direct a little bit of it.

When it came time to mention her service in the Colonial Fleet Artimus felt his heart beat harder at a faster pace. His mind was taking him back to that fateful day and as much as he tried to stop it he could not. In his mind's eye he was piloting his Raptor and out of the corner he saw the explosion as the Raptor that Cate and Garret Armstrong were in collided with the Raptor flown by Alana Gutierrez.

"I'm sorry Cate," Artimus said softly and he hoped that none of the people could overhear what he had just said. His wife's hand tightening its grip around his indicated that at least one person had heard what he said.

"Brooke, you can go back to work if you need me to. I'll go to the graveside service and head home," he whispered.

"Are you sure?" Brooke Bowman asked before realizing how sincere the look on her husband's face was. She nodded her understanding; there was no need to discuss the matter further.

_**Caprica City, Quorum Building:**_

Commander Scott Tolan looked at the imposing marble building and for a moment could not help but wonder how it would feel to be one of the people who carried out their daily business here. The Quroum of Twelve conducted the business of the Twelve Colonies here, not far from where the Executive Mansion was located.

Today would be the initial Q &A session with the Quorum of Twelve, and his mind swirled with questions about just what effects the interview with Fleet Admiral Jonas Stryker would have on his candidacy for flag rank. He had to admit that he felt both bitter and saddened about Stryker's interview. Here was a man who the entire fleet looked up to as a living legend and yet he was criticizing his promotion without the two of them actually meeting face to face.

He entered the Rotunda, where a security guard waited to check him to make sure he was neither carrying something illegal nor some kind of weapon. The walls were decorated with the canvas paintings of many of the past representatives who had served on the Quorum. They all looked down on him with menacing eyes watching his every move as if they were all passing judgment upon him.

Scott checked his watch; he had a half hour to go before he was supposed to meet with the Quorum.

He made his way to the elevator and flashed the guard his Colonial Fleet picture id, which granted him access to the express elevator that led to the private chambers of the Quorum members.

He exited the elevator and stepped onto a hallway that was decorated in a way that reminded him of the old royal mansions he visited on Virgon during his time on the Battlestar Elektra.

Each of the twelve doors down the right side of the hallway led to the offices of the Quorum of Twelve members, each one subdivided into smaller offices for their assistants who handled all of the incoming business from their home colonies.

He reached the one for Virgon and opened the door, the waiting room seemed quiet and for a moment Scott thought it might be a slow business day.

"Can I help you?" a bored receptionist asked from her desk.

He walked over and saw the name 'Renee Nielsen' on the nameplate at the front of the desk.

"I'm Commander Scott Tolan, I'm here to see Representative Woods."

"Representative Woods is a busy man, do you have an appointment?"

"I understand that," he said diplomatically. "Would you please just mention to him that Commander Tolan is here to speak with him, I'm sure he'll make room to speak with me," Scott said as he tried to keep his smile in place. Carlton Woods had been the longtime representative of Virgon on the Quorum of Twelve. He was also the father of Bridget Woods, Scott's close friend and Executive Officer when he was in command of the Battlestar _Vanguard_.

Nielsen picked up the phone and told Delegate Woods who his unannounced visitor was, "Yes sir, I'll send him in."

"I take it he wasn't opposed to seeing me," Scott said.

"Please go in, Delegate Woods would be happy to see you."

'I'm sure he would', Scott thought facetiously as he entered the office.

"Commander…or should I say 'Admiral' Tolan," Carlton Woods said as he stood up from where he was sitting behind his desk to offer Scott a handshake.

Scott accepted the handshake and promptly sat down, "Well Delegate Woods, I'm glad you could make time to talk to me."

"Please it's 'Carl' when you're in here with me," he said as he took a Caprican cigar from his desk drawer and lit it, "These are a vice of mine, a guilty pleasure I've never wanted to give up."

"I'm sure of it," Scott said.

"Can I uh...tempt you?"

"No thank you, Carl."

"You know it's interesting that you've come up for promotion to flag rank. My office has received letters on the matter when it was announced and now the interview with Admiral Stryker has stirred emotions as well."

"I guess we'll just have to see where you stand on the matter."

"That's the thing. I know I owe you a great debt. After all, you were the one who rescued Bridget's career when it seemed she was going to have to leave the Fleet after that little tryst the two of you had…Gods the fallout from that was felt by everyone involved."

"The question is are you looking at a chance to pay me back for saving Bridget or are you going to punish me for what happened between Robert Reynolds and I."

"Rob is a good man despite what you say about him. The two of us talk, and the allegations that he's intentionally kept Bridget from finding love are ridiculous."

"That's your opinion, the question still remains though…which side are you on."

"I had a challenger for my seat during the primary to get the Federalist Party nomination, an upstart named Claudette Browning, and it was my daughter's proud service to the Colonies as an officer in the Colonial Fleet that made it possible for me to win that close contest."

"I think I see where this is going."

"Indeed. You see, you saved Bridget's career and that helped to save my job as Virgon's member of the Quorum. To show my appreciation of that I'm going to do you a favor and do all I can to get your promotion to flag rank. Perhaps if Bridget gets a command afterwards then I can consider the favor repaid."

"All this talk about favors, I swear this city was built on them. Otherwise the government may fall apart," Scott said as he stood up and turned to leave, "This has been a very enlightening conversation; I want to thank you for all you've done."

Scott left the room and thought better of meeting with the other members of the Quorum, all it would do was put him in an ill mood. He may have been told that the Stryker interview would do nothing detrimental to him, but he wondered if that would really be the case.

_**CFIS Headquarters, Caprica City:**_

"I think I found something," Wendi Milone shouted.

"Let me see," CFIS Agent Catherine Odessa said as she walked over to where Milone was sitting.

"You did say anything that seemed remotely off, right?" the junior agent asked.

Odessa nodded her head, "Yes, if there's something here to find, then I want us to find it."

"In that case you may want to check this out," Milone said as she produced four pieces of paper out of the box she was sorting through.

"Care to give me more of a heads-up so I can know what I'm looking for," Odessa said once she walked over and looked down at the pieces of paper.

"These are four statements that were taken down in the aftermath of the accident. One was by Commander Gavin Raymond, the CO of the _Daedalus_. Another was by Colonel Elisabeth Black, the _Daedalus'_ XO. The third one was by Major Dmitri Baranov, the legal officer who put together an independent report. Lastly we have the words of Artimus Bowman himself, and that is when I really had my sixth sense tingle," Milone said.

Odessa gave a slight nod and began to read over the reports. There were some slight variations among the first three, not something out of the ordinary in light of what had taken place. It was when she read Bowman's report that she began to see some inconsistencies both of the minor and major variety.

"Great work Milone, you're coming with me to bring Bowman here for a friendly chat," Odessa said as she started towards the door with Milone in tow.

She stopped and turned to face the group of agents, "The rest of you are to keep looking to see if you find something else."

_**Cedar Ridge Cemetery:**_

Artimus and his Scorpia Sedan made up part of the caravan that made its way to the gates of Cedar Ridge Cemetary, the final resting place for Caitlyn Watson. He once again found himself keeping away from most of the crowd. He wanted to pay his respects to a fallen comrade and the idea of having to face her family knowing that he was the reason why her life was in such a downward spiral was a tough pill for him to swallow. As he stepped out of the car he asked Brooke to remain inside the vehicle which she politely obliged.

He had been to Cedar Ridge on many occasions. This was the place where his great-grandparents were buried. While none would ever accuse him of believing in the afterlife he felt it was important that he come and visit their graves if for no other reason than to pay his respects to their memory if nothing else.

He looked around at some of the prominent headstones in the nearby section of marble monuments to the deceased: Cyrus Xander, Jordan Duram, Michael Burks, Steven and Augusta Bradshaw, Rachelle Jackson, Juliana Martinez, Priyah Magnus, Corey Knapp…what were the stories of these people if they were able to tell the story of their lives?

He saw a black car pull into the horseshoe-shaped parking area where the cars in the procession had parked, were they late arrivals?

He turned his attention back to the casket where the graveside service was about to commence. He walked over, staying at the back at the crowd. He and Gregory Eaton made eye contact; Eaton gave a nod as though he were saying that he understood. He saw a form near the front of the group, it confirmed why he was hanging back the way he was; standing near Cate Watson's husband, and two kids was Jaclyn Armstrong. The last thing he wanted was for there to be a confrontation between himself and the mother of Garret Armstrong.

He turned to leave, better to play it safe, when he saw two women standing near a headstone at a respectful distance. Both were dressed in casual attire, but their jackets were emblazoned with the initials 'CFIS'.

One of the women motioned for him to come to where she was standing. When Artimus got close enough she held up her CFIS id, "Special Agent Catherine Odessa, with me is Special Agent Wendi Milone. We need to have a word with you in private."

"You could at least ask first," he said dryly which failed to produce a response. "What does CFIS need with me?"

"That's something we would be better off discussing elsewhere. Besides, the last thing we want to do is make a scene here at your friend's funeral."

"Can I follow you there in my car?"

Odessa looked as though she was weighing her options, "Agent Milone, take Colonel Bowman's keys and follow us back to headquarters."

"That won't be necessary. My wife can follow us."

"It would be better if she went home," said Odessa.

'This is serious,' Artimus thought as he handed over his keys to Milone.

"You're probably right," said Artimus before adding almost threateningly. "I can't remember the number for my lawyer so she could go get it for me."

"Do you think you're going to need a lawyer?" she asked him.

"Let's just call it a hunch and nothing more shall we?"

_**Tolan Residence: **_

"Hey Scott!" Lacey said as she gave her cousin a hug as he walked through the front door of the house he and Emily called home.

"Hey Lace, what are you doing out here?" he asked after she had released her arms from around him.

"Reading up on the stories I have to write reports on for my Canceron Literature class," she said as she sat back in the chair strategically placed as to take advantage of the shade provided by the house.

"Sounds good to me, perhaps when you're done we can hit the tennis court out back and see if you can give your cousin a run for his money."

"I think I can more than give you a run for your money. Sadly, before I can do that I have to finish reading these stories."

"What are you reading?"

"_Saga of a Star World_, _Fire in Space_, _The Living Legend_, and _The Young Lords_; that's just a small sample of what I have in store for me this year. Jeremy told me that if I hadn't been able to help him with _The Man with Nine Lives_ he'd have been in serious trouble."

'Jeremy Lane if you only knew what you were getting into by trying to date her,' Scott thought before saying, "Well Lace you are going to get into the Fleet Academy for sure if you keep applying yourself like that. I'm going to go see Em, come and see me when you're ready to get beat at tennis."

"Trash talking already Scott," Lacey said with a shake of her head before returning to her book.

"That bastard!" Emily Tolan shouted from the upstairs bedroom.

"This can't be good," Scott said as he walked up the stairs to the second floor of the house.

"Everything alright baby?" he asked as he opened the door to the master bedroom.

"Scott, sorry about that; I thought you were going to be meeting with the Quorum all day," she said apologetically. She was laying down on the bed and looked very much pregnant with the triplets she was carrying.

"Before I ask you who you were calling a bastard, how did the visit from the doctor go?"

"Dr. Copeland told me that she had better not hear that I was taking any trips out to the restaurants of Caprica City. I'm strictly eating at home and sending you out for any restaurant food to bring home. She said you need to make sure I stay on bed rest."

"That was nice of her to say that. At least we have Lacey to help make sure you follow orders."

"Yeah, now as to whom I was calling a bastard. Would you feel bad if I told you that I called Admiral Stryker one?"

"I may not like it but I'm not in a position where I can say something bad about him. This is Admiral Stryker we're talking about, the man's a legend and as a Colonial Fleet officer I can't exactly say something bad about a superior officer. Besides, there will always be the fact that he did save all of us from that little mess of your family's," replied Scott and even though they both knew it was a point that could not be argued he immediately regretted it when Emily shot him a look that implied he would be on thin ice with a comment like that. He hated to admit but perhaps the stress of the past couple of days was starting to get to him despite his best efforts.

It was then that he had the idea to move away from what he had just said, "Did something happen this morning?"

Without saying a word Emily pointed the remote control at the television and pressed the button to disable to the 'Mute' button.

Danya Wright, the host of the show was saying, "…For those of us joining in now on Mid-Day Caprica, we are about to have a discussion regarding the remarks made last night by retired Fleet Admiral Jonas Stryker regarding the upcoming confirmation hearings regarding Commander Scott Tolan."

Wright added, "To debate the merits of this story, we have Carmela Valencia of the Canceron Justice Institute and retired Vice Admiral John Waldron."

The screen then shifted to a three-way where the faces of Wright, Valencia, and Waldron were visible.

"Before I begin I want to thank all of you for joining us today," Wright said.

"Thank you for having me," Waldron said.

"It's a pleasure to be here," Valencia said.

"As the two of you know there were some inflammatory remarks made last night by Admiral Stryker regarding the possibility that Commander Tolan will be promoted to flag rank. Let me start with you Ms. Valencia. What are your thoughts on the matter?"

"I believe that Admiral Stryker was right on the money about Commander Tolan. If you are familiar enough with the history of the Basileus crime syndicate you would know that the proverbial apple does not fall far from the tree."

"For those of us who are not familiar with the Basileus, could you explain the purpose of the Canceron Justice Institue?" Wright asked.

"Of course, the CJI is a group that is composed of expatriate Canceron citizens. We were the ones who left our home colony out of fear of what the Basileus would do either us or our loved ones. From the other eleven colonies we strive to one day bring down the Basileus through the court system."

"You mentioned that the apple did not fall far from the tree. Is there any proof that Commander Tolan is involved with the Basileus? It seems to me that that kind of public statement is almost defamatory without it. I mean it's obvious you believe it or you wouldn't risk a civil suit filed by Tolan."

"If Tolan's family history is anything to go by I think a civil suit would be the least of my worries. But I like many Cancerons refuse to be intimidated by these people. There are rumors that Tolan has maintained some ties to the Basileus. Even recently it was reported that he was on Canceron visiting with his aunt, Lydia Zeresi, who happens to be the leader of the syndicate."

"Wait a minute here," Waldron interjected, "Is it a crime for an officer of the Colonial Fleet to visit his family?"

"It should be if the family is related to Carl Tolan," Valencia shot back. "And if that wasn't enough he then marries into the Graystone family! It was obviously an effort to get his hands on the Graystone fortune, a fortune built upon the creation of the Cylons!"

"Scott Tolan has been an exemplary officer in his Colonial Fleet career. Not to mention he has earned numerous awards and honors from the Fleet for bravery and skill."

"Name one instance of bravery?" Valencia asked.

Waldron appeared to be shuffling through papers but what he was going to say was not to be heard as Scott turned the television off.

"Do you see why I said what I said?" Emily asked.

"Yeah babe I understand. Is there anything I can get for you?" he asked knowing that the last thing he wanted to do was discuss Stryker and the upcoming hearings.

"I'm craving fried pickles for some reason," she said.

Scott turned to leave the room, "As you wish."

"You're the best, I love you!"

He smiled at her, "I love you too."

When Scott returned to the room with a plate of fried pickles for her he saw that she was flipping through a list of movies.

"I'm trying to decide what movie I want to watch," she said after she had taken the plate from him.

"What are our choices?" he asked as he lay down on the bed beside her.

"_The Gun on Ice Planet Zero_, _Murder on the Rising Star_, or _Lost Planet of the Gods_…what are you in the mood for?"

Scott thought for a moment, "Let's go with _Murder on the Rising Star, _I'm in the mood for a good mystery."

"Are you sure it's not because it's got Joandra Zavia in it?" Emily teased.

"She's a blonde and you know I have an inherent weakness for redheads," he said as he gave her a kiss.

"You'd better," she said as she kissed him back and selected the movie.

"Once we finish this I'll see if Lace is ready for a friendly game of tennis," Scott said as he settled onto the bed next to his wife.

"You do know she's been receiving tennis lessons from Jeremy," Emily said knowing it would get under her husband's skin.

'When this is over I am going to Canceron and Artimus and I will put the fear of the gods into him,' Scott thought to himself. He would have said more but the look of delight on Emily's face was proof that her comment had caused the desired effect.

_**CFIS Headquarters, Conference Room 5-A:**_

"First I want to thank you for coming to talk to us," Odessa said as the three of them took their seats in the conference room.

"I suppose 'you're welcome' is the appropriate response but I have no idea why I'm here," Artimus said as he looked at both Odessa and Milone to get an idea as to what was on their minds.

"Well are you willing to proceed or do you wish to wait for your lawyer?"

"I'm willing to test the water."

"Good. We received some information Friday that pertains to an incident you were a part of back on the _Daedalus_. Do you remember the Blue Raptor Display Team?" Odessa asked.

"Yes I do, it's impossible for me to forget my time there," he admitted. "I also remember the tribunal that followed. The tribunal that cleared everyone involved of any wrongdoing other than being enthusiastic about their work. Don't get me wrong here I regret deeply in my heart what happened and if I could turn back the clock and change things I would. It has haunted me almost every day of my career since then but I can't and it's behind me now."

"Should we take that as a formal statement from you regarding the matter?"

"You can take it how you please," he said

"This person, who wished to remain anonymous, told us that there was more to the story than the official report. I decided to take a closer look at the report and Agent Milone found this," Odessa said as she slid four pages to where Artimus could look and read them.

"Colonel Bowman as I examined them I discovered that there were major discrepancies between your report on the events of that day and the official version," Milone said.

"Our source informed us that you deliberately tampered with the Raptor Garret Armstrong was in. The one that was damaged enough to cost him his life and almost the life of the pilot he was with, Caitlyn Watson," Odessa said and she looked at the Colonial Fleet officer to see the effect the words had on him.

"Whoever said that was sadly mistaken or perhaps it is someone with a grudge against me," Bowman said.

"Why would you say that?" Odessa asked.

"Because I held myself responsible for what happened that day even though I was cleared. Probably someone from the _Daedalus_ or a relative of someone involved in that accident is trying to slander my name by accusing me of wrongdoing. I can't say I blame them for it. I was in command so the burden of carrying it fell on me."

"You truly believe that," Odessa said as she made a few more notes, "I wonder if you are aware of what happened with the rest of the squadron."

Artimus felt a pang of shame as he realized that in all the years since the accident he had not spoken to any of the members of the people from his squad. He simply shook his head instead of saying something.

"Captain William Simmons," Odessa said as she placed a dossier on the table in front of Artimus for him to open, "He did a tour on the _Athena_ and _Delphi_ but he was never the same after the accident. He resigned his commission with the reason being that he had lost his desire to be a pilot. He is now a manager at a Capri-Mart in Umbra City. He has been married and divorced three times, seems he has had troubles stemming from a certain incident, a shame you never bothered to check up on him."

Artimus simply put the dossier back on the desk and waited for the next verbal punch Odessa would throw at him. It was not long before she went with the next dossier.

"Lieutenant Alana Gutierrez would go on to serve on the _Stryker_ but she was not the same as she was before. She revealed to the ship's counselor that every time she got in her Raptor to fly she was reminded of the _Daedalus_ and she simply could not fly without thinking of that incident. She was given a medical discharge from the Colonial Fleet and is now a dispatcher with the Caprica City Police Department," Odessa said and then watched the realization begin to dawn on the man sitting across from her.

"What's the point behind all of this?" Artimus asked. He was beginning to understand that the lives of the squad were ruined by that one accident.

Odessa simply handed him another dossier, "Lieutenant John Hatfield was stationed on the _Libran_ before he was discharged from the Fleet for being intoxicated while on duty a year after the accident. He was treated for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and is now serving as a purser on the space liner _Arthington_ and seems to be well-regarded by the Sharpe Line."

"You must be enjoying this," Artimus muttered.

"Lastly we have Major Gregory Eaton, the only one besides you to remain in the Colonial Fleet. He seems to have been able to use his family connections to keep from having some of his disciplinary problems from coming to back to haunt him. Oddly enough, he has not been stationed on a battlestar since the accident. He's been posted to bases on Aerilon, Scorpia, Tauron, Leonis, before he got a posting to Margam Fleet Air Station in Carthage here on Caprica."

'Looks like even Greg is having issues," Artimus thought to himself bitterly, it seemed their lives and careers had been ruined.

"Not that I want to remind of you of the events earlier today but then there's Caitlyn Watson," Odessa said as she handed the dossier to Artimus, "She left the Fleet as soon as the _Daedalus_ got back into port and tried to rebuild her live on Virgon. She settled in Boskirk and took a job as an administrative assistant with the Baglan Bay Trading Company. When she married Rodolfo Figueroa she kept her maiden name and the couple moved to Caprica to live in Delphi. Her suicide was a sad story; I wonder what darkness she kept inside her that would drive her to such an act."

Artimus did not hear hea. Instead, his mind had gone back to that day on Scorpia when Cate had found him in that hotel room with…her, 'Artimus, what the hell is going on?'

Caitlyn Watson had known the secret he had kept from the squadron and most importantly had kept it from her ECO, Garret Armstrong, could keeping that secret had been what ultimately killed her?

"I'm going to let you go on your way Colonel but if something comes up I want you nearby."

Bowman stood up, "What exactly does that mean?"

"It means that I'm going to recommend you stay planet-bound while I conduct an investigation into this."

"I'd hate to give you something to use against me," Bowman said as he turned and left the room.

_**Graystone House:**_

In his study Alfred Graystone had his own little corner of the world that was his and his alone. It was in this room that he kept the one photo the family had of three certain members who had now since passed over. It was a picture of a family by a lake. There was a man, a woman and a teenaged girl. They were Daniel, Amanda and Zoe Graystone and to keep this photograph of them was almost taboo for the stigma that comes from being related to those who created the Cylon race. It was also from here that he conducted his business affairs. One such affair was being taken care of, and was the reason for the phone call.

"Marta I know you and I have history and I appreciate all you've done for me since you made it to the Quorum. I just need to know if I have your support," Graystone said.

"Alfred I am not sure how my constituents will feel about it," Marta Shaw, the Caprica representative on the Quorum of Twelve said.

"I helped you get elected the first time and I have been a solid contributor to your reelection campaigns. You help me out here and I can guarantee you that my contributions will triple from now on."

"You are asking me to ignore the interview with Admiral Stryker and the repercussions from it and simply throw my support behind your son-in-law."

"I know it's a lot but it's necessary. Scott Tolan has those damn blood ties to the Basileus, if it wasn't for all the work I put into moving him up the ranks he'd have already been drummed out of the Fleet."

"Think about what you have just said. You have had to use your influence to get him moved up to where he is today, how can you be sure he's even cut out to be a flag officer?"

"That doesn't matter, it's not like we're going to get attacked anytime soon. This is to simply give him and my daughter more prestige in the eyes of our society."

"You do realize you have a son who is serving in the Fleet as well as a daughter?" Shaw asked.

"Yes I do realize that. Right now Andre is doing just fine on the _Hermes_ and Andrea is doing whatever it is she does on the _Solaria_ that passes for flying. They're both going to be ok without my intervention. Scott is a different story, it's like I'm trying to fix some cosmic mistake the gods made. Emily is too good for him and we both know that, the least I can do is try to make him more acceptable to the social circles you and I run in."

"Just this once I'll do what I can for you and your son-in-law. Give Regina my best," Shaw said as she ended the call before Alfred Graystone could say something. In the time since she first ran for the Quorum seat she had felt a sort of indebtedness to Alfred and Regina Graystone. She was sure it must have burned the man to know that his youngest daughter was married to Scott Tolan and had to deal with the problems that came from an association with the Basileus.

_**Two Hours and Eight Minutes Later:**_

_**Bowman Residence:**_

Brooke Bowman walked into the living room of the flat and saw Artimus sitting in his favorite recliner nursing a drink.

"You're home, thank the Gods!" she said. "I thought I was going to be seeing you behind a set of bars the way you were talking when those agents showed up."

"It's been a hell of a day," Bowman said before taking a drink, "It has to do with some stuff from my career's early days."

"What kind of stuff?" Brooke asked as she took a seat on the chair next to her husband's.

"It's a long story and I've been reliving it today over and over again. Perhaps we can talk about it later?"

"No…_Colonel_…We'll talk now. I know you may not want to hear it but maybe it's time to focus on the happier memories or better yet try to make some happy memories here and now."

Artimus tried to smile as best he could, "It may take more than that to get me out of this funk I'm in."

"You, my love, should know I never back down from a challenge."

"What are you thinking about doing?"

"First I'm going to order some takeout Gemenese food and have it delivered here. After that I will have a plan in place that should get you out of whatever funk you're in and put a smile on your face."

"What if I'm not smiling when all this is over?"

"You will either be smiling and in a better mood or you'll die from the effort I'm going to put into this."

"Who am I to argue?" Artimus asked as he could not help but feel that he was fortunate to be married to such a woman.

'Maybe this will get my mind off of the_ Daedalus_,' he thought to himself. He had to admit the meeting with Odessa had weighed greatly on him and only compounded the feelings of guilt he felt. Not only because of what had happened the day of the accident but also because of what had happened before.

_**Tolan Residence: **_

Scott woke up and looked at the clock, in bright red letters it say 3:54. Physically his body told him to go back to sleep but his mind was not going to let it happen. Today was the big day, in almost seven hours he would sit before the Quroum of Twelve and begin the confirmation process that would either see him promoted to flag rank or whether he would have to wait for another crack at becoming an admiral.

He thought back to the various ships he had served on during his career. The _Galactica_, _Temeraire_, _Mercury_, _Elektra_, _Atlantia_, and _Vanguard_ all served as stepping stones to get him to the goal of any officer in the Colonial Fleet…the stars of an admiral. He got out of bed and walked downstairs to the kitchen. He fixed a drink and sat in one of the chairs that overlooked the large lake that bordered the house. This house had been in Emily's family for some time. He was unaware of the fact that it had once belonged to Daniel Graystone and was where the first Cylon prototype had been designed and created.

He sipped the water in the glass, letting his thoughts wander to wherever it was they seemed set upon going. He began to realize that there was a chance his suspicions about the Graystone family were spot on. His sudden rise through the ranks coincided with his marriage to Emily. It was as though the two events in his life were connected. The only logical conclusion was that Alfred Graystone had manipulated the system to get his newly acquired son-in-law promoted as quickly as he could.

Of course he would never let Emily know that, it seemed best that he pretend that he was ignorant of what was going on around him. Raising the issue with her family would only lead to trouble and he did not need that in his marriage. Especially with her pregnant and on bed rest…no it was best to let things stay the way they were.

Looking out at the tranquil water seemed to do the job as his mind began to slow down and he felt the pull of sleep began to take over. He got out of the chair and put the glass in the sink after downing the last of its liquid contents. Later today he would have the chance to plead his case before the Quorum as to why he was ready for flag rank. For now he would get some of the sleep he was certain he would need.

_**CFIS Headquarters: **_

Odessa finished up the last touches on the report she had worked on since Artimus Bowman had left from the Q & A session earlier in the day. She had spent practically the entire day here at Headquarters and despite the coffee she had consumed it was starting to tell on her face that she was tired.

Sure you don't need another cup?" Wendi Milone asked.

Odessa thought about it but shook her head, "That won't be necessary, I've finished up the Bowman report. Once I forward it to Director Medina we'll have to wait and see what goes on from there."

What do you think about him?" she asked.

He's hiding something, I'm just not sure exactly what it is," Odessa said as she attached the report to an inter-office e-mail and sent it to Director Abram Medina.

How can you tell?"

How long have you been with CFIS?" she asked Milone.

Almost a year, mygrandfather was an agent with the old Global Defense Department and law enforcement has sort of fun in the family blood."

Odessa nodded thoughtfully before she said, "If your great-grandfather was here I'm sure he'd say the same thing I'm saying about Colonel Bowman. It's his eyes that give him away; there is something about the _Daedalus _situation that he does not want us to know about. It's something that makes him uncomfortable."

Milone thought about what Odessa had said. If her grandfather, Bruno Milone, were here then perhaps he would agree with Odessa about Artimus Bowman and the incident they were investigating. Truth was she had known about Odessa before the investigation had begun and her reputation was known in the ranks of the CFIS. When she focused on a case, it was rare for her to let up before she had found her way to the truth of what was going on. When it came to Bowman though it seemed that Odessa was especially focused on finding the truth of what happened on the _Daedalus_. Her instincts told her there was more to it than the veteran agent was letting on but it was going to take some time before she could find out for sure.

"I suppose he would," she offered.

"I'm done here so go home and get some sleep. If I need you again I'll let you know," Odessa said as she turned off her computer and headed for the elevator that would take her to the ground floor of Headquarters.

_**Delphi, Caprica: **_

Brooke Bowman slept soundly as she was prone to doing, Artimus swore that she could sleep through a nuclear detonation if she were asleep when it happened, but her husband was having no such luck.

In Artimus' dream he was back on the _Daedalus_ and it was the last port visit the training battlestar would make before it set off for its deployment. They were docked at the giant shipyard complex in orbit of Scorpia. The Raptor pilots had taken them and their ECOs down from the _Daedalus_ to Fort Autzen in Byromville. The team had gone to Argentum Bay to meet with their friends. It was there when he met Garret Armstrong's girlfriend, the woman he had every intention of marrying, and a woman who would intrigue him like few ever had.

His mind was bringing him back to that day when he first met Valeria Regan, a meeting that would have a lasting effect on his life.

The dream then changed but what it morphed into was more recent and still painful for him. He was two years into the past and trying to escape from the base of the Sagitarron Liberation Army. He, Scott, and a small group were cornered into a room with the SLA troops closing in on them. Four people volunteered to stay behind to hold them off so the rest of the group could escape to the hangar bay where they could board a transport shuttle and escape the base.

The thunderous booms from the shells of the Tenth and Fifteenth Fleet hitting the base were deafening and shook the room as though it were a toy in the hands of an invisible giant. This was time was different…this time he was in the room arguing with Scott about whether or not Galit Malka would stay behind to cover their exit. He argued with him with all the strength he had and it did not good as the others in the group who were not staying behind grabbed him and carried him away. He screamed that they could not leave her behind and finally called out Galit's name as the dream mercifully came to an end.

Artimus' eyes fluttered opened and then quickly closed again. His conscious mind did not register the dream or that he had even awaken from the dream.

Brooke on the other hand heard her husband talking in his sleep and was concerned. Who was this 'Galit' he was calling out to and why was he arguing so passionately against leaving her behind? Perhaps in the morning she could ask him and find out if he remembered the strange dream he seemed to be having, and maybe tease him about dreaming of another woman as well.

While the Bowmans were sleeping in their bed a person was standing outside of the flat putting a letter into their mailbox. It was addressed to Artimus Bowman and when he read it he would know that he would have to deal with a part of his past he would either want to forget or wish had never happened. In the person's mind Bowman had gotten away with what he did back on the _Daedalus_ all those years ago. Now was the time to make things right and make the man face up to what he had done. There was that time when a priest on television had said that the gods would eventually right all wrongs and give justice to those who had been wronged by their fellow humans.

In the eyes of the unknown figure the upcoming mission was clear. Now was the time to become an instrument of justice the gods...an instrument that was to be used against Artimus Bowman.

Inside the envelope along with the letter was an excerpt from a collection of poetry by Caprican poet Chandra Tambaly:

_Punishment is justice for the unjust._

Author's Note: I would like to take the time to thank Pam Barker, Tony Wilkins, and Allen Knott for their help with with chapter.


End file.
